Jailed Reporter Miller Seeks Shield Law

[sabra]

http://www.mankatofreepress.com/feeds/apcontent/apstories/apstorysection/D8DAIVG06.xml.txt/resources_apstoryview

Jailed Reporter Miller Seeks Shield Law


New York Times reporter Judith Miller defended her decision to go to jail to protect a source and told a journalism conference Tuesday that reporters need a federal shield law so that others won't face the same sanctions.

Miller was jailed 85 days for refusing to reveal the source who disclosed the identity of undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame.

"Ultimately we protect sources so people will come forth _ so people will know," she told the national conference of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Miller received a standing ovation from more than half the crowd of about 350 journalists when she was presented with the group's First Amendment Award.

[MADem]

1. Standing ovation from HALF the crowd???

That tells me that half the crowd consisted of something OTHER than journalists.

[SteppingRazor]

6. It was at the SPJ. They're all journalists...

Not all of us are complete douche bags, ya know :hi:
Sincerely,
A journalist and SPJ member.

[MADem]

11. Agggh, half of them are idiots, then!! n/t

[SteppingRazor]

12. Yes. Yes they are. n/t

[samdogmom]

13. Somebody has to work for Faux and the other right-wing rags.

I don't consider these idiots journalists, but what do I know? Anybody stupid enough to buy the lies from this administration can't be a real journalist.

I'm outraged that after Judy's damning explanation in Sunday's Times they still went ahead and gave her this award. Come on, you don't spend 85 days in jail protecting a source and then "forget" who that source was!!!!

I hope this turns out to be a huge embarrassment for the Society of Professional Journalists. And, if I were a dues-paying member of this group I would cancel my membership in protest. I hope some ethical journalists do raise a stink.

[SteppingRazor]

22. You know... canceling the membership is a damn fine idea.

Will do.

[newscott]

2. I'll wait for the indictments thank you very much

She was walking all over that thin line, between getting the story and helping others make it up.

She should probably be indicted for PROPAGANDA.

After we take care of that issue and all it's ancillary situations, you know, like TREASON, then I'll talk about reporter shield laws.

[bunny planet]

3. Hey Judy. STFU. First ammendment, schmirst ammendment, you are no

journalist.

[SteppingRazor]

4. Interesting that the whole crowd didn't stand...

but at the same time, I gotta say I agree with Miller in this instance. I'm fully in support of a federal shield law to protect legitimate off-the-record and deep-background sources.

Note how I included the word "legitimate." As Miller's source was committing a crime by supplying her with the information, I think it's one of the rare times that would be an exception to such a shield law.

[newscott]

7. Now is not the time for this.

I want her crimes put on the record first. I want this administration to pay for how they've used the media as a propaganda wing shamelessly and with no accord to the constitution.

They pay, then we talk.

[tatertop]

8. What is a Stepping Razor?

(Or is it a secret?)

[SteppingRazor]

9. No secret. It's the lyrics to a Peter Tosh song:

See the lyrics here:
http://www.top50lyrics.com/p/petertosh-lyrics-7044/steppinrazor-lyrics-261793.html


Some of Tosh's other songs, like "Equal Rights" and "Legalize It," admirably express many of my thoughts regarding politics, policy, and the "shit-stem," as Tosh referred to the Establishment.

[tatertop]

15. thank you

very interesting lyrics

[SteppingRazor]

19. Indeed. They're brutal and mean...

That's why I like'em :evilgrin:

As I said, some of Tosh's other, more political, songs are the reason I adopted one of his tunes as my screen name -- tunes like "Equal Rights" and "Downpressor Man" and, perhaps his most famous "Get Up, Stand Up" speak to me.

My favorite reggae artist, just barely beating out Mr. Marley and Desmond Dekker.

[tatertop]

21. Americans don't realize how hard Jamaican's lives are

Most of them are dirt poor.

[Avalux]

5. So people will know WHAT? Lies?

She didn't protect a source - she covered the ass of the administration and probably received big bucks to spread their propoganda.

:puke:

[maximovich]

17. Exactly (nt)

[0007]

26. Judith will go back to incarceration. How can she be proud of

an act of treason?

[geomon666]

10. First Amendment Award?

How disgusting. Bushbots don't get punished, they get awards.

[goforit]

14. "So people will know"??? WTF!!!....She certainly never told us!!!

[rodeodance]

16. wonder when the nytimes will give her the boot????

[grumpy old fart]

20. Soon, if the want to salvage their fast dissipating credability.....

[punpirate]

18. Miller will turn out to be the worst advertising...

... possible for a shield law. Many will see a shield law--in connection with her style of journalism--as a means of protecting the government from inspection and investigation. Wrong case, wrong person to promote in this.

I was one of those who thought otherwise at the time she was first ordered to jail, but as more has become known, this whole mess is hardly going to advance this particular cause of journalism.

[shraby]

23. This is going to be one embarrassed group.

[notadmblnd]

24. Judy...Judy... Judy.....

"Ultimately we protect sources so people will come forth _ so people will know," she told the national conference of the Society of Professional Journalists.

........ but what you did was to protect a source so people would not know, there's a difference and this is the problem you don't seem to realize.

[Garbo 2004]

25. Yeah, she willingly would change attributions to help Libby cover up the

source of the smear job they were doing on the CIA and Wilson. So much for the people's right to know. Besides, a fed shield law wouldn't have protected Judy from the grand jury's inquiry.

Earlier this year a TV reporter, Jim Taricani, completed 4 months of a six month sentence on house arrest for refusing to reveal the source who gave him an undercover FBI tape of a local politician taking a bribe. It was a Federal case. Does anyone know his name, know of his case? Where's Taricani's First Amendment Award?

[NashVegas]

27. No Shield. Integrity is Nothing if You Aren't Willing to Stand Up for It

And Miss Judy stood for 85 days. I'm not so sure it was for integrity purposes, though.